Chapter 19
Falling
AJ had completely lost all sense of time.
How long had it been since they'd arrived on the mountain? Since the avalanche? Her disastrous battle with her father? Healing Pichu?
Over a week now, easily. Possibly two, by her counting, since it all began. Two weeks since she'd fought with her mother. Two weeks since she'd last seen home.
And in that time, so much had changed. So much was no longer the same, and likely never would be again. Even if they managed to find a way home again.
She had changed, here on this mountain. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she'd been changed by it. Changed in ways she still didn't fully understand, in ways that admittedly scared and confused her. She didn't know that she liked these changes. Didn't know that she was changing in ways that she wanted to change.
But, like so many things in life, this seemed to be something else she had no say in. It just happened, and her only choices were to run or accept it. To step up and meet life head-on, or turn tail and flee like a coward.
And so, because she could see now that this was apparently something she'd always been doing, AJ did what she always did. She ran.
She avoided her friends, and she avoided Ash, and most of all, she avoided self-reflection. Even though she knew it was stupid and cowardly, and even though she knew that she was going to have to face up to it eventually. Even though she knew nothing was going to change until she did. Instead, she sought distraction; anything and everything that could fill up space and occupy her time. Anything that wasn't what she really needed to be doing.
AJ's days were now filled with training and scavenging for food. The latter now a necessity, as they'd all but eaten through what remained of Sammy's stores and, unable to locate either hers or Jade's supplies, they really had no options other than to starve.
Scavenging, as it turned out, was a laborious process that ate up large portions of their days.
Thankfully, the Sanctuary offered a vast selection of edible plants and berries for the pokemon, which was usually enough for the Pichus or Togekisses of the group, who ate mainly plants and not too much at that - but for Arcanine or Hydreigon, who needed meat for at least some of their diets, they were forced to go hunting out on the mountainside. A change which proved to be quite a struggle for Hydreigon in particular.
On the one hand, it was a nice excuse to get out of the cabin and away from Ash and her friends for a few hours, seeing as how AJ couldn't leave Hydreigon alone on these hunting excursions lest she risk her losing control and causing another natural disaster. On the other hand, the trips tended to be incredibly frustrating and slow, taking up hours in the bitter cold as Hydreigon, who had never lived in the wild before being captured, had no idea what she was doing and was terrified of coming into contact with wild pokemon.
In a way, though, the hunting trips made for decent training. Perhaps not so much in the high-level combat sense, but it did serve as a sort of brutal crash-course on general battling basics, and - cruel though it seemed through any non-naturalistic lens - it was showing slow but steady improvement in terms of getting over her fears of interacting with others.
By being forced to hunt others to survive, Hydreigon was finally beginning to come to terms with just how big and powerful she was - and how little she really had to fear from others. She was no longer the small, abused Zweilous in a circus cage. It was a sort of 'kick her out of the nest' situation that, while not something AJ was exactly thrilled with, she could at least come to accept if she focused on the silver lining.
Besides, they really did have no choice here. AJ couldn't hunt the meat for her on her own, and it's not like there was a Pokemart around for her to go shopping.
When she wasn't hunting with Hydreigon, she spent her days back in the Sanctuary, training with the legendaries - whichever ones deigned to show up on any given day, that is. Some of them came every day, like Zeraora or Cresselia. Others seemed to show up whenever they felt like it, like Latias or that big silver Ditto.
This was actually a good thing, as it meant her team got to work on new things every day, and when legendaries were their sparring partners, their training was always at the highest level.
Hydreigon stuck with Cresseila, whom she felt safest around. Normally, AJ would have preferred to mix things up a bit, but considering Hydreigon was still working on her block and the extra training she was getting from hunting, she figured she should go a little easy on her for now. She'd already made incredible improvement just in being willing to participate - pushing her too hard would only have a negative impact on her and possibly undo all of the great progress they'd made. Best to be gentle.
She had no such compunctions for the rest of her team, however, and always made sure to work them hard during their training with the legendaries. There was no telling how long they'd be here, and while it seemed like it was ramping up to be a while, she still wanted to make sure they got as much out of the experience as they could.
And even though it had only been a few days, she could see signs of improvement already.
Arcanine had lucked out in that an Entei had shown up and taken an interest in him. As a fellow fire type with a similar body shape, the stern yet encouraging Entei had put Arcanine through the ringer, and though incremental, she'd already noticed improvements in his speed and maneuverability, as well as the power of his tackles and fire attacks.
Togekiss had a rotating cast of trainers, all of whom seemed inclined to battle her in the sky, usually varying between up-close or long-range battles. Togekiss's speed had always been excellent, but AJ could already see improvements in both stamina and evasion - though the day that a Zapdos showed up and sent Togekiss through an aerial gauntlet of precision lightning bolt dodging had just about sent her heart leaping out of her throat. She didn't want to risk another trip to Xerneas - the God of Life may not be so forgiving of stupid injuries taken during training.
All in all, improvement seemed steady across the board, and while there was really only so much one could improve in such a short amount of time, even when training with legendaries, it was still remarkable that the growth was enough that she could see it with her eyes, even without a pokedex to help her chart it. Growth always slowed once you reached the peak of your field. That she could see it at all after only a few short days was phenomenal and spoke to just how far she still had to go to reach legendary level.
The only member of her team who she hesitated to look over was Pichu. He was still training with Zeraora every day, the vain bipedal feline having taken a liking to her partner and helping him to hone the storage and output of his electricity so he could make the most of what little power he had. And while AJ could see the improvements and was proud of all of the work he was putting in, it was hard to watch him fight and struggle to get stronger when she knew he could go much farther if he evolved.
But that just brought up all of the same conflicted feelings she'd been having ever since that evening on the hillside, and the same back-and-forth arguments would begin in her head again, prompting her to turn away from him and Zeraora and go distract herself watching someone else.
She still hadn't talked to him about it. She didn't know how to. But she'd eventually decided that it felt wrong bringing it up herself, because she didn't think she could separate her biased feelings on the matter. She wanted it to be his decision, but how could she go about telling him she was ok with whatever he wanted without making it sound like she was pushing him one way or the other? She wished she could talk to Brock about this. He always knew what to do.
But talking to Brock would necessitate talking about how she hated Ash. Then again, after the way she'd blown up at her party, he probably knew now how she felt. He'd probably have some wise words to help her feel better about that, too. That, or he'd try and push her to reconcile just like Jade was.
Why were Harrisons always so nosy?
And just like always, thoughts of Pichu and the reason he never evolved inevitably led to thoughts of Ash. Their terrible battle. Their talk in the sunflower field. His confession that he'd left because of her. The words he'd spoken to Hydreigon that night on the hillside.
Thinking about Ash was like being sucked into a black hole. The thoughts kept pulling her in, no matter how hard she tried to run from them. They were dark and scary and she was terrified to follow where they would lead her because she had no idea what, if anything, was waiting for her on the other side.
She hated him, though. She did. She knew that, even if she knew nothing else. It didn't matter if him abandoning her wasn't his fault, and it didn't matter if the rest of the world comparing her to him was outside of his control, and it didn't matter if he was actually a nice guy deep down and not the self-centered monster she'd always painted him to be.
She hated him. She clung to that thought, desperately, unwilling to relinquish it. It was her north star, her guiding light.
Because if she didn't have her hate, then what did she have? Where had she been going all this time? What was the point of it all?
Luckily for her - or perhaps unluckily - as she sat once again stewing in her inescapable doom spiral, lounging languidly near the Sanctuary's river as her pokemon washed off the sweat of another day's long workout, she was rescued from her thoughts by the surprise arrival of Jade, who showed herself at the top of the hillside like an enemy army who had seized the high ground and was pressing her advantage. Well, great - now she was going to have to talk.
She loved Jade, even if she wasn't her favorite person right this second. But she really didn't want to talk to her, or anyone, right now. Maybe she could jump into the river and swim away and just pretend she didn't see her…? No, no, that was too dramatic, and it would be obvious. Maybe she could pretend to trip and fall in? And then just… casually swim to the other side?
Too late - while she was busy musing potential escape routes, Jade had quickly descended the hill and approached her. Curse her and her long, beautiful legs. Then again, AJ hadn't exactly been trying hard to escape. She really had been too lazy to stand up. She was tired from her workout and the grass was comfy here.
"AJ," her friend began once she'd arrived within a few paces, throwing up a tentative smile like nothing was at all out of the ordinary between them and yet maintaining a safe distance as though AJ was a feral Pyroar who was liable to try and maul her.
"Jade," AJ replied evenly, keeping her eyes on the river bank.
To be fair, they weren't actually fighting per se. They'd had fights before and they were usually louder than this. Still, though… Things with her best friend had been off-kilter for days now, and short of either of them relenting on the situation with Ash, AJ wasn't sure how they were going to reconcile.
"Are you all done here?" Jade asked, in a tone that said she'd been waiting for a while. Knowing her, she'd probably been camping out on the other side of the hill, just out of sight, waiting for her chance.
"Just washing up," AJ replied, gesturing to her pokemon who were lazing about in the river. Pichu was using Milotic's serpentine body as a makeshift water slide, much to Arcanine's annoyance, as he kept launching himself off of her tail and cannonballing into the river right in front of his face. The legendaries had all disappeared as soon as training was over, but several of the wild pokemon were still loitering about, chatting with one another or AJ's pokemon. They were giving AJ and Jade a wide berth, however; maybe they could sense the awkwardness.
"Great!" Jade said, sounding perhaps a bit too enthused. Then, after another awkward pause, she stepped a little closer and said, hesitantly, "Did you want to… um, come back to the cabin for lunch? Maybe?"
Every muscle and fiber and sinew in AJ's body seemed to tense up at the mention of returning to the cabin with the others, which Jade must have seen, because she immediately waved her hands in the air in a frantic sort of way and said, hastily, "A-Ash won't be there! It'll just be you and me! And Sammy and Cole, I mean, but-!"
AJ tossed her head like an agitated Mudbray. For some reason, hearing Jade emphasize that Ash wouldn't be there only seemed to annoy her even more, as if someone being conscientious toward her was an insult or something. She didn't know why; obviously, him being there would have been a deal breaker. Jade knew this. She wasn't wrong for bringing it up. Was AJ getting mad just for the sake of getting mad now?
"Is that… a no?" Jade asked, stepping back and looking decidedly crestfallen. She forgot sometimes just how sensitive Jade could be. She actually looked legitimately crushed.
"No," AJ said automatically - then, realizing her mistake, quickly said, "I mean, not 'no', not…" She sighed. This was dumb. "Yes, I'll come have lunch with you."
"Really?!" Jade asked, her sudden excitement making her swell like a Jigglypuff, and AJ couldn't help letting out an amused breath.
"Yes, really. What is that look for? Eating lunch isn't that exciting - not here, anyway." Not anywhere where the only menu item ever was stew.
"Everything I do with my best friend is exciting," Jade replied, beaming ear to ear as she leaned over and offered AJ a hand to help her up.
AJ couldn't fight the begrudging smile that wormed its way across her face.
"Great, now I know you've lost it," she mumbled jokingly, taking Jade's hand and rising to her feet.
She paused for a moment to stretch her back and groan. She was sore. She'd spent a good chunk of the morning right as the sun was rising out digging through the snow looking for tubers. The Sanctuary may have plenty of food for the pokemon, but Mewtwo apparently didn't like the humans taking too much food from here, so they were forced to rely on the mountainside. The brat. Maybe if he let Cole forage for food in here, their dinner menu could expand a bit.
Speaking of, maybe she should just leave her team here? They could eat here while she was gone, and it's not like they didn't know where to find her if they needed her. Then again, who knew what trouble they'd get up to while she was gone - especially Pichu and Hydreigon. Better to recall everyone before she left.
Besides, she could use the excuse of needing to feed them if she decided she needed to escape the cabin early. Always best to have a back-up plan, the thought as she recalled her team, her Pichu scrambling up the river bank, pausing only long enough to shake some of the water out of his fur before climbing up onto her shoulder.
The walk back to the cabin was odd, if only because she couldn't remember ever feeling this out of sorts around Jade. Her friend talked ceaselessly the whole way back, rambling on about nothing, but that wasn't unusual. As Sammy often pointed out, Jade couldn't stand silence - and with Pichu chattering away on her shoulder, carrying on a conversation with seemingly no one in that way that he often did, the walk ended up being rather noisy. But what was weird was how awkward it was and how forced Jade's chipper attitude felt.
Maybe it was because AJ was her best friend and knew her too well to be deceived so easily. Or maybe it was because this was the first time they'd spoken one-on-one since the fight they'd had the other day. Either way, AJ was keenly aware of just how wrong this interaction felt, how none of it was as it should be. And with everything that was going on, AJ just really wanted her best friend back.
Which meant that for once, she should probably stop running.
"Jade, I… Can we talk?" AJ asked softly as the two made their way across the verdant fields of the Sanctuary and back to the cabin.
Jade, who had been talking - ceaselessly and about nothing for the past several minutes - instantly closed her mouth. She didn't respond, but AJ took her silence as acquiescence. Her body language seemed apprehensive, as though she was afraid of what it was AJ was going to say.
Given how emotionally unstable AJ had been since arriving on the mountain, maybe Jade was right to be on edge.
"It's… about the other day. About… when we fought. I just wanted to say sorry again. I didn't… I'm just sorry."
She half expected Jade to do her usual Jade thing and wave it off, tell AJ it was fine and water under the bridge and not to worry about it anymore.
But she didn't. Instead, she remained quiet for a moment - a moment that seemed to stretch out for an eternity, the sudden lull in conversation leaving a silent, yawning gap yearning between them, filled with nothing but the sound of their out-of-sync footsteps on the grass as AJ began to wonder if Jade was going to reject her apology - before finally, with a soft sigh, she said, "Yeah… I'm sorry, too, AJ. I didn't handle that well, and… I wound up discovering some things about myself that I didn't even know were bothering me, and I sort of took them out on you."
AJ regarded her for a moment out of the corner of her eye. Jade looked… sad, almost. Wilted. Like a Sunflora that had been left in the dark for too long.
AJ took a deep breath, trying to force her way past the awkwardness through power of will. This wasn't exactly her area of expertise, but…
"Do you want to… talk about it?"
Jade had spent years listening to AJ rant about how much she hated her dad, but she'd never once listened to Jade talk about her mother. She wasn't sure she'd be of much help, but if she just wanted someone to listen, then…
Jade smiled sadly but shook her head.
"No, that's… I mean, I do think I need to talk about it. Probably more than I realized. But… You're not the person I want to talk to."
"Oh," AJ said, feeling a little stung despite seeing where she was coming from. "Ok."
"No!" said Jade, eyes popping and waving her hands frantically in the air. "That's not - I don't 'not' want to talk to - Ugh! I meant, I want to talk to my dad! He never talks about mom ever, and it's just… It's not fair, y'know? I want to know more about her, but you won't be able to give me that - that's all I meant, I swear!"
For a wonder, AJ actually laughed.
"Yeah, I get it," she said reassuringly. "Besides - I'm not the best sounding board when it comes to parents."
"True," Jade agreed, and they both laughed again.
There was another pause, this one not quite as awkward as the last, that lingered for a while until Jade finally said, "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard. About your… about Ash, I mean."
It was AJ's turn to shake her head.
"No, I… I needed it. Besides, you're my best friend - it's your job to push me when I'm being an idiot. I count on you to keep me in line."
Jade looked surprised for a moment then tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Does this mean you… agree with me?"
AJ looked away, not meeting Jade's eyes.
Honestly, she didn't know how to answer that. As far as Jade was concerned, nothing had happened since their fight about AJ needing to talk to Ash - nothing other than AJ storming off in the middle of dinner like a whiny brat.
She didn't know about them introducing their pokemon to each other in the sunflower field and how incredibly normal he had seemed - not even monstrous at all, really, at least until he called her emotionally unstable. Sure, he was probably right about that, but still. She didn't know that she'd eavesdropped on their conversation at dinner the other night and now understood the reason why Ash had disappeared in the first place and how she couldn't really deny anymore how relatable his feelings were. And she also didn't know about her eavesdropping on him talking to Hydreigon the other night and how strange and conflicted his kindness had made her feel.
AJ didn't know that she could say that any progress was made. She didn't want progress to be made; she wasn't trying to progress in the direction Jade wanted. But she couldn't deny that things were different now. How different, exactly, she wasn't sure, but certainly different.
She hated him. But the heat was dimming. She didn't know why.
But she wouldn't tell Jade that. Not until she figured this out for herself first. Not until she discovered a way to beat him.
That was still her ultimate goal, at the end of the day.
Wasn't it?
"Ok, fine," Jade said, accepting that AJ wasn't going to answer. "Let me ask this instead then - are we ok?"
AJ turned back to Jade and met her gaze. For a wonder, Jade actually looked unsure, as if there was any way she didn't know how AJ was going to respond.
AJ tried to smirk - to play the moment off as teasing and playful because emotions made her uncomfortable - but she couldn't actually stop her lips from morphing into a small, sincere smile as she turned to Jade and said, "Of course we are. You drive me insane sometimes, but… I love you too much to stay mad at you."
The last word cut off with a strangled choke as Jade caught her in a rib-cracking hug, just about lifting her off of her feet in joy. Pichu, who'd been knocked free of AJ's shoulder in the love-tackle, quickly scrambled his way back up his trainer's back to dance around on her head in celebration while Jade repeated over and over again how AJ was her bestest friend in the whole wide world and she loved her too and she was so happy that she didn't have to spend all day hanging out with 'smelly hobo men' anymore.
Once they were close enough to the invisible exit, Jade called out her Metagross and together, she, AJ, and Pichu climbed up on its back and took off, soaring up into the sky, through the portal, and back out into the freezing mountain air.
The chill was always a slap to the face after leaving the Sanctuary, but with her and Jade now back to normal, the cold didn't seem as sharp as it usually did. They passed the short flight back to the cabin talking and laughing about nothing as though nothing had ever changed, and AJ was surprised to find that her buoyed spirits continued even after they dismounted and entered the cabin, managing to offer genuine smiles to both Sammy and Cole, who were finishing up lunch preparations right as they girls arrived.
Lunch was a simple yet convivial affair, and AJ was in better spirits than ever. Despite being in Ash's home again, despite still being trapped, despite having no idea what to do about Ash or their future, something as simple as being around her friends again - talking and joking and having fun - was enough to wash away some of the gloom she'd been living under for the past few days.
Maybe this was all she needed. Some time spent with the people she cared about, the people who cared about her. People who could pull her out of her own head, stop her from doom spiraling all the time and help her focus on the good parts of life. Despite nothing really changing, she felt lighter and more free than she had in days.
Just sitting here, in this too-cramped cabin with this flavorless stew, she felt happier and more at ease than she had in days. Things finally felt like they were looking up.
And then it all came crashing down to the ground when, in a moment of deja vu, the front door of the cabin flew open with a resounding bang and Ash, looking windswept and pale, announced in a loud, panicked voice, "There's someone in the Sanctuary!"
AJ stared, spoon frozen halfway to her mouth, gawking at Ash in stupefaction as the impact of his words seemed to reverberate hauntingly around the now silent cabin.
Someone was in the Sanctuary? Someone other than them? But who? How?! Who else knew it was here?!
Cole was on his feet in a heartbeat, looking panic-stricken and older than ever before.
"Who?" he asked, winded, walking quickly around the table and looking distinctly pale and jittery as he grabbed his coat from off of the stand by the fireplace. "When did they arrive?"
"I don't know," Ash replied hurriedly, letting his eyes bounce around the group as though counting them, his gaze resting on AJ more than once. "I just got word, and since the cabin was on the way - we should all go. It might take all of us to stop Mewtwo from… well…"
From going on a rampage and killing the intruder.
Sammy and Jade were up and moving, snatching up coats and scarves, recalling what pokemon had been lingering in the living room. An urgent, frenetic energy had filled the cabin, and the group moved with a purpose, united in their goal to protect the Sanctuary and the pokemon who lived within it - and possibly whatever hapless hiker had stumbled their way into a death trap.
All except AJ. She stood as well and began gathering her things, Pichu shouting orders from her shoulder like a general marshaling an army, but something felt a little odd to her and she couldn't quite wrap her head around what.
How was someone in the Sanctuary? With all of the wild pokemon patrolling the mountainside, could someone have really made their way all the way here without being noticed? If so, they would have had to have known exactly where to go, exactly what it was they were looking for beforehand - but how? No one else knew the Sanctuary existed.
Unless there was something else they weren't telling them. Some other part of their backstory, yet unearthed. Wouldn't be the first time Ash and Cole had kept a secret from them.
AJ was the last to leave the cabin, shutting the door firmly behind her. Jade was calling Metagross out of his ball, but she could see Ash was already astride his Charizard, waiting impatiently for the others while Sammy mounted his Corvinight and Cole, stashing away his flute that he'd used to summon his ride, struggled to climb onto Braviary's back.
"We should make for the waterfall cave entrance," Ash was saying as Jade hopped up onto Metagross's back and offered AJ a hand to pull her up. "It seems that's where they're going. If we can catch them and stop them there, in the tunnel before they reach the Sanctuary…"
"Good idea," Cole said, breathless. "If they don't see the Sanctuary proper or any of the legendaries, then Mewtwo should be appeased."
AJ opened her mouth to ask if it wouldn't be better for one of them to fly around to one of the other entrances and catch the intruder from the other end in a vice grip - but before she could ask, Ash had taken off, Charizard's powerful wings carrying him quickly out of reach. Cole and Sammy weren't far behind him.
Well fine then. This was their life's work; let them call the shots.
The journey back to the Sanctuary was tense and silent. Even Pichu seemed to read the mood and for once had put his playful nature behind him, bundled up in AJ's scarf and scowling at the last, lonely peak that stretched before them, at the base of which they'd find the entrance to the waterfall cave where she and Jade had followed Ash what felt like ages ago.
"I just don't understand," AJ said finally, feeling the tension and exasperation well up inside of her. "Someone is here? Who? How? Who else could possible know there was a legendary pokemon Sanctuary up here, and who could have snuck their way in without any of the wild pokemon on the mountain catching them?"
Jade met her eye for a moment, and AJ could see the concern blazing on her friend's face. Jade worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, hesitation like she was going to say something to AJ… but then seemed to think better of it, turning to face forward and simply saying, "I don't know."
Weird. This whole situation was so weird. Had one of the legendary's alerted Ash that someone had snuck in? That's what had happened with Sammy before, so they must have some sort of system… but why come to the Cabin first? He was Ash Ketchum - couldn't he have handled this on his own? Or sent one of his pokemon to alert the people at the cabin while he rushed ahead first?
Maybe she was overthinking this. Maybe he'd just been caught off-guard and panicked, or maybe he'd been bumming around out on the mountainside when he heard the news and the cabin had been on the way. Maybe she'd conditioned herself to not trust him and was now physically unable to do anything but assume the worst in his every action.
They landed at the entrance to the waterfall cave before too long, with Ash standing at the entrance with his Pikachu and his Charizard, hurriedly ushering them forward. In the time it took Sammy, AJ, and Jade to dismount and recall their pokemon, who were too large to fit in the cave, Ash had grabbed a handful of sticks off of the ground and had his Charizard set the ends ablaze to use as makeshift torches before finally recalling him, which he handed out as the group made their way inside - Cole first, looking pale and haggard, followed by Sammy, his face stiff and furious, then Jade, still anxiously chewing her lip, then finally AJ.
She was unable to stop herself. As she reached to accept her torch from Ash, her eyes seemed to meet his of their own accord, and for a moment that lasted for only a heartbeat, they stared at each other, postures mirrored, each with a hand on the torch, Pikachu up on his shoulder and Pichu up on hers.
She couldn't reach his expression, but his eyes - those same burnished amber eyes that had haunted her all her life from those photos on her grandmother's mantle - seemed to bore straight into her soul. Something in her chest squeezed again. She looked away, wrenching the torch out of his grip and following after Jade.
The group hurried through the cave as quickly as they could, boots slipping on wet rocks as they ducked beneath low-hanging stalactites, making their way through the dark and narrow passage toward the sound of rushing water.
When they reached the waterfall that blocked the secret entrance to the Sanctuary, Sammy moved to summon his Dragonite again, but Ash beat him to the punch, pulling out his Espeon and using her psychic powers to divert a portion of the waterfall and allow them to pass through, once again waiting until the others had slipped ahead of him before following up behind.
As they entered the tunnel, AJ tried to push ahead, conscious of how close he was behind her, but the tunnel was narrow and there wasn't much room to move without physically bowling Cole and Sammy over so she was forced to match their pace - which, for Cole, a man in his mid sixties trying to rush up a rocky incline, wasn't exactly fast.
The tunnel felt longer than she remembered, but that may have just been the anxiousness of the situation. She kept her eyes peeled, but with only the dim light of the makeshift torches to illuminate their path, it was hard to see much of anything around them. Still, she kept alternating from trying to squint through the gloom ahead and letting her eyes sweep the ground, looking for any signs of the intruder. But she saw nothing. Nothing but darkness.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, something seemed to emerge from the gloom up ahead. A single figure, standing alone in the center of the tunnel as though blocking their path…
That is far enough.
A shudder seemed to pass down AJ's body from tip to toe.
Mewtwo.
Pichu leaped down from AJ's shoulder at once, positioning himself in protectively between his trainer and the monster, as though there were any way he could possibly take it on alone.
Silence and confusion seemed to grip the group for a moment as they stopped, all in a huddle, breaths ragged, torches gripped in sweaty hands and darkness all around them.
What was going on? Why was Mewtwo here, waiting for them in ambush in the tunnel? Did it think they were the intruders? Had its paranoia convinced it that they were in cahoots somehow?
Cole, breathless from exhaustion, stumbled forward a few steps and peered at Mewtwo cautiously through the darkness.
"Mewtwo?" he gasped, winded. "What…? What is this? Where is the intruder? Did you already…?"
Something cold seemed to settle over AJ. Had it already disposed of them? Had they been too slow? But where… She didn't see any bodies, any signs of violence. Had it teleported the remains somewhere else, or…?
Mewtwo stared for a moment, as though sizing Cole up. Even in the darkness, AJ could see the sheer malice in its eyes, burning in the dark like black flames of pure hate.
Finally, it said, in a soft, slow voice that echoed psychically across all of their minds, Why don't you ask your son?
There was a pause, as each of them struggled for a moment as though his words had been a puzzle that they simply didn't understand. Then, slowly, as one, AJ, Cole, Sammy, and Jade all turned to face the last member of their group.
Ash was standing alone, a few paces back, his torch held up but his eyes on the ground, hidden behind the bill of his cap. Pikachu still up on his shoulder, and Espeon on the ground at his side.
Something seemed to seize AJ's heart, then. Fear, confusion, anger - she couldn't quite put a name to it, but it set her heart pounding in her chest, her palms slick beneath her fingerless gloves.
Cole cleared his throat gruffly, then took a step toward Ash, gazing at Ash imploringly.
"Ash," he said, and his voice was rough, weak. "What… What is this? What is Mewtwo talking about?"
At the sound of his name, Ash finally lifted his head, and the light from the torches seemed to make his eyes burn a brilliant amber.
"I'm sorry, dad," he said finally, and in the stillness of the cave, even his soft whisper was easy to hear. "But I finally saw my chance, and I… I had to take it."
"What…?" Cole began, but Mewtwo quickly ran him over.
There is no point to this, it said, tone cold and commanding. Let it be over with-
"No!" Ash shouted, surprisingly desperate, staring hauntingly at Mewtwo. "Please, just… give me a minute. I need to explain-"
They will not remember your words, Mewtwo tried again, but Ash shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. I need… I need to say it anyway. Even if it's… just for my sake."
Mewtwo tossed its head, looking exasperated, but to her surprise, seemed to concede to Ash's request.
Fine. But make it quick. My patience it not endless.
Ash nodded, swallowing thickly, then turned his gaze back to Cole, who was staring at his son as though he was some strange creature he'd never laid eyes on before.
"I'm sorry," Ash began, softly, "for tricking you all. There was never an intruder. I just… I needed to come up with a situation urgent enough that I could get you all here, together. Mewtwo wouldn't leave the Sanctuary, so… I had to bring you to him."
He adjusted his stance a bit, like a nervous kid giving a speech in front of his classmates, but kept his eyes on Cole.
"I've actually been planning this since the beginning," he continued. "Ever since I first arrived here. From the moment the hypnosis that Mewtwo had placed on me as a child broke and I remembered. I knew that there was at least a chance that - if he agreed to help me, if I could convince him - we could use it to rescue you from this place.
"But it wasn't enough, back then. Mewtwo didn't want to risk sending us back down the mountain even with our memories wiped with hypnosis. As strong as he is, I had accidentally proven that there was a chance, however, small, that it could break again. That we'd remember him and the Sanctuary, and we'd carry that knowledge back into human society. A risk he wasn't willing to take. So I waited. I waited here, with you, doing my part, keeping the pokemon safe, keeping you company… Waiting for my chance to find a way to finally send you home."
Here, he paused to smile ruefully, extending his torch to gesture at AJ's friends.
"Though, of course, it turns out that opportunity came in the form of other would-be prisoners. I guess I didn't do much in the end, after all… but I owe you a thanks, Sammy, Jade. It was our conversation at dinner the other night that gave me the missing pieces I needed to finally set my plan in motion."
"We didn't do anything," Jade interjected, sounding confused, and Ash chuckled.
"You did, actually, When we were talking over dinner, you told me two very important things that were necessary to finally get Mewtwo's help.
"First, when I told you the story about how I'd met Mewtwo before - me and my friends, Misty and Brock, back when I was a kid - you, Jade, asked me how it was possible that that had happened when your father had never told you about it. You confirmed for me then that Mewtwo's hypnosis was powerful enough that, even decades later, Brock and Misty still didn't remember their meeting. That it would take a reminder as powerful as what I had had - seeing Mewtwo face-to-face - to break the hypnosis. Which meant that my plan to use Mewtwo's hypnosis to wipe my dad's memories and send him home was viable.
"The second piece of information came from Sammy," he continued, now gesturing to Sammy with his torch. "He pointed out after dinner that, unlike me, you three were smart. You didn't run off to this mountain alone and in secret. You told people where you were going - your parents, my mom, the rangers, even Johto's Champion. People know you're here, which means if you remain trapped, if you never return, the League is going to send people looking for you. Kanto losing another Ketchum Champion under mysterious circumstances, together with one of the Oaks and the daughter of Pewter's Gym Leader? Not a chance they'd leave that lying down."
I conceded that keeping them here presents a risk I had not foreseen, Mewtwo said. Though I would sooner kill you all and be done with it, I would earn the ire of Mew and several of the other pokemon in the Sanctuary who have grown fond of you… To my disgust, wiping your memories and sending you back to the human world does seem to be the safest option for the pokemon I must protect.
"So then send them home!" Cole shouted, gesturing to AJ and the others. "The children! They deserve to be free! But there's no need to send me with them-!"
"Dad," Ash cut in, exasperated, "you know you won't survive up here for much longer. You're not a young man anymore, and I can see - we all can see - just how hard it is for you to get around nowadays. If you stay up here, you'll end up dead before too long, but if you go home - back to human civilization where you belong - you could have another ten, twenty - thirty years, even! Decades of life back! Decades you deserve, after everything you've gone through."
Cole shook his head, ready to argue back, but Ash lifted his torch higher, making a placating motion with his hand and cutting him off.
"I've only got another moment left, so… let me say my goodbyes while I can."
Mewtwo shifted behind them, as though to indicate that he'd never agreed to giving him another moment, but Ash pressed on, heedless of the threat.
"Dad…"
He paused, his mouth working soundlessly for a moment before letting out a short, barked laugh.
"Wow, this is weird. Y'know, Dad, I don't think I ever told you this, but… You're kinda of my hero."
A pause followed, and you could see the surprise on Cole's face as Ash's words caught him off-guard. The silence in the tunnel seemed to stretch for a moment, holding everyone still as the weight of the situation and what was about to happen seemed to finally settle fully on each of them.
At Cole's side, AJ stood rigid, every muscle in her body taut, jaw clenched, brows furrowed, hands balled into fists so tightly her knuckles were screaming. Some foreign, indescribable feeling was welling up inside of her, bubbling up her throat, clamoring for her attention.
There was no way out. They were trapped in a vice, with Ash Ketchum on one end and the monstrous Mewtwo on the other. Even if they could all team up on one of them and take them - which was a big if - the other would just get them from behind.
Not to mention, the tunnel was small and cramped. Not big enough to have a real fight in. And that was before you considered the very real risk of a cave in. No, attempting to fight would very probably mean death, either at Mewtwo's hands or at the hands of rocks falling in on their heads.
But still - she couldn't give up, couldn't let this happen. Why, she didn't know, but she couldn't. Ash's plans had to fail, because… because he was Ash! That was the only reason why! She had to stop him! Had to protect her friends and Cole from…!
From what? From finally being allowed to go home? From being rescued from this prison? Wasn't that a good thing? Wasn't that what she wanted?
But then Ash would still be stuck here, alone on this mountain, without even Cole for company.
But he deserved it, right? Didn't he deserve what he got? Shouldn't she feel vindicated?
But she'd forget him. Forget their confusing moments. The sunflower field. His conversation with Hydreigon.
She'd also forget her embarrassing loss, though. Forget how she lost her temper. Forget what a failure she was.
But she'd still be a failure, even if she forgot. She'd forget the progress she'd made. Forget all the training, and the legendaries, and the work she'd put in. The revelations she'd had about herself, about her friends.
And she'd never get her chance to finally beat him.
Ash's eyes were fixed on the ground, gaze unseeing, a wry twist to his lips that clashed openly with the striking bitterness painted across his countenance.
"It's just…" he continued quietly, as though talking to himself, "Everything I did in life, every tournament, every championship, every accomplishment or accolade or award… I only ever pursued them because of you. Despite not being there, you shaped my life. Even my childhood dream of being the Pokemon Master, 'the best there ever was'... it was always just so you'd be proud of me."
To his credit, in this moment, Cole was the very picture of stoicism; striking, grizzled countenance, rugged gray beard, broad shoulders from years of physical labor, and a piercing hawk-like gaze. Despite his age, he was as implacable as the mountains themselves, and yet… AJ could see water in those once-fierce eyes, and those powerful arms were quaking with the onslaught of emotion he was trying so valiantly to suppress.
Ash cleared his throat gruffly, free hand rising to adjust his hat, hiding his eyes behind its brim.
"I blame mom, to be honest," he said, half-joking, not quite hiding the tremble in his voice. "All throughout my childhood, she told me stories about you. Of the kind of man you were, the kind she wanted me to be. Selfless and brave and always helping others… There was no greater compliment than to hear her say, 'Your father would be so proud of you'…
"And I wondered sometimes, how… How could she be so strong? Never doubting, never questioning your motives or your disappearance. Trusting in you, absolutely… What kind of man must you have been to have inspired such unwavering confidence in her?
"And then I found you. And now I know. I know what being a hero really means-"
"It's not about heroics, boy," Cole barked sternly, his voice powerful and authoritative, not displaying a hint of the tangle of emotions she could clearly see in his eyes.
"I know, dad, I know…" Ash said quickly, making placating gestures with his hand. "I'm not… doing this to be a hero, I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for mom… Dad, she's been without you for nearly forty years-"
"And without you for nearly twenty," Cole cut in again. "Delia is a strong woman - she doesn't need a man to complete her. But any woman would suffer at the loss of their only child, Ash. Go home. Your family needs you-"
"And they don't need you?!" Ash demanded loudly, and Cole sighed, shaking his head.
"Most of my life has been spent on this mountain. You're grown, and have children who are grown, and Delia's moved on-"
"But she hasn't!" Ash bellowed angrily. "She's still waiting for you to come home! In your little house in Pallet, right where she lost you! Ask them, if you don't believe me! Ask! She never believed you'd died! She knows you're still out here!"
Cole's mouth worked, but no sound came out.
"You gave up your whole life, your happiness, everything, for the sake of these Pokémon, the world, and the ones you love. But the burden doesn't have to be carried alone - I told you that once before. I'm taking it up now, and you are going home to spend the rest of your life in peace. You don't get a choice in the matter, just like I didn't get a choice when I had to grow up without you."
The two men stared at each other, eyes burning fiercely, as though they could force the other to yield through sheer willpower alone. Finally, however, Cole looked away. He didn't say another word, but even in the dim torchlight, she could see his shoulders shaking.
AJ felt uncharacteristically scrambled inside, her emotions a confused tangle, whipped into a tempest by her father's emotionally charged speech.
Part of her wanted to lash out at him, to argue - to cry that he was wrong on mere principle, by merit of simply being him… But at the same time, she wanted Cole to go home. She wanted Grandma Delia to not be so alone anymore.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her lungs, it seemed, were having a difficult enough time simply breathing with the sheer weight of her anxiety pressing down on her, ice-cold chains wrapping tight around her heart like bands of iron.
Worst of all, she couldn't push away the thoughts and feelings that had wormed their way through her while her father had been monologuing. Something in his words, something strange, something she was too terrified to acknowledge or even think about at the moment had seemed to resonate somewhere deep within her. Words she recognized, somehow so familiar…
The words of a child to the father they'd never known.
'She told me stories about you…'
'...how could she be so strong?...'
'…Your father would be so proud of you…'
'…what kind of man must you have been?...'
'…tournaments, championships…'
'…only ever pursued them because of you…'
'…you shaped my life…'
'…and now I know…'
Her throat had dried to the point of pain, but she couldn't work up enough moisture in her mouth to swallow. Suddenly, she felt very, very cold.
"Jade, Sammy."
Her best friend jumped at the sound of her name and turned her gaze from the silent Cole to stare apprehensively at Ash, bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet. Sammy met his gaze head-on, but his face was unreadable, his soft green eyes now gray like granite.
"It was good to see you two again. You've both grown so much. Your parents must be so proud."
Jade looked lost, her mouth half-open like she wanted to respond to the compliment but was unsure how to.
Ash continued, heedless. "Thank you for being AJ's friend. For being with her, staying by her side, everything I couldn't do and more. I know you won't remember this, but… stay close to your friends, your family. There is nothing else that matters more."
Jade nodded slowly, her lips trembling, wide amber eyes flooding with emotional tears so typical of her best friend. Sammy didn't respond, but he looked troubled, his face set in that way he had when trying to find a solution to an unsolvable problem.
Ash turned his hollow gaze finally to AJ, and with a shuddering breath, she felt her throat unstick.
"AJ…"
"No," she managed throatily, her voice thick with an emotion that she couldn't, wouldn't describe.
He smiled softly.
"I know you don't want to hear this…"
"Don't you dare…"
"…but I'm sorry."
There was some sort of spasm in her chest, and her response was lost as she fought with futility to regain self-control, shaking her head back and forth like a petulant child.
"I know it must be too little, and far too late…"
Don't you dare, AJ Ketchum!
"…but I'm so, so sorry."
AJ! Don't you do it!
"I never got to hold you, to see you open your eyes…"
Don't you dare cry! Don't give him the satisfaction!
"…take your first steps…"
Please…
"…get your first Pokémon…"
Oh, Arceus…
"…or take your place as Kanto's Champion."
He gave a short, humorless chuckle. "But then, you never needed me after all, did you? You've become ten times the trainer I ever was at your age. I guess all I was good for was a reputation the world would hold you to and a name - Oh… I can't believe Misty named you after me, you must hate that."
AJ was lost, tossed against the breakers, too spent of her every faculty to fight the turbulent emotional storm that was assaulting her on every side, and yet the onslaught would not cease. One more blow, she knew, and that would be it.
"I know I have no right, no need, to ask this, but… take care of your mother. Misty is…" He shook his head, unable to finish the thought. "And AJ… one last thing, before you go. You'll forget, but it has to be said while I have the chance."
Their gazes were locked, cerulean against amber, and her heart thudded weakly in her chest.
"…I love you."
And she broke. Eighteen years of hatred and anger that had shaped and formed her life, her existence, her very being - the stained-glass window of her soul - shattered in an instant, the falling pieces tearing her to shreds.
A strangled sob escaped her throat, hot tears painting her cheeks, and she felt herself lurch forward; whether a subconscious impulse to move toward her father or her knees finally giving out after so much buckling, she didn't know. She saw Sammy move to catch her out of the corner of her eye, but at the same moment, Mewtwo finally made its move.
Cole bellowed a futile "No!", and Jade screamed reflexively, but in a flash of light and a wave of cold, the world went black, and AJ kept right on falling, falling into the lonely darkness.